Palmer and Nkunku lead Chelsea to crucial victory over Brighton

BRIGHTON: Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku struck on either side of halftime to secure a 2-1 victory for Chelsea against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, propelling the London club into sixth place ahead of the Premier League season’s final day.

Palmer opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a powerful header from Marc Cucurella’s cross, marking his 22nd league goal of a stellar debut season. The goal put Chelsea in the driver’s seat at the Amex Stadium, despite a lively home crowd.

The visitors doubled their lead in the 64th minute when Nkunku side-footed Malo Gusto’s cutback into the net. Chelsea’s control of the match was jeopardized in the 88th minute when substitute Reece James received a straight red card for a reckless kick at Joao Pedro.

Brighton capitalized on their numerical advantage when Danny Welbeck scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time, converting Pedro’s cross to set up a tense finale. However, Chelsea held firm to clinch their fourth consecutive league victory, a first for the season.

Marc Cucurella faced a hostile reception on his return to his former club and thought he had won a penalty in the 15th minute, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review.

This victory keeps Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for the Europa League alive as they prepare to face Bournemouth on Sunday. Under Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea overcame a dismal start—winning just one of their first six league matches and three of their first ten—to finish the season strongly with only one defeat in their last 14 league games.